4 Times We Didn't Talk ABout Last Night (And 1 Time We Did)
by Prone To Obsession
Summary: Choices: Open Heart - MC/Bryce - Drabbles inspired by the song "Can We Just Not Talk About Last Night" by Butch Walker


**1) The Night After The Housewarming Party**

"Hey there, Trouble," Bryce had just taken a shower when I entered the locker room at work. He must have gone straight to the hospital, because I caught a glimpse of last night's sweater in his locker as he grabbed a pair of scrubs. I smiled when he called me 'Trouble.'

"Oh, I'm trouble, huh?" I asked, eyebrow raised. "Because I could say the same of you, Lahela."

Bryce put a hand to his bare chest, acting like he was clutching his heart. "You cut me deep, Valentine."

He laughed as he pulled on his scrubs. I closed my locker and followed him to the atrium. An awkward silence fell as we walked. Or, at least, it felt awkward to me. I don't think Bryce has ever felt awkward about anything in his life.

"So..." I started slowly. "About last night..."

Bryce grinned at me. "Yeah?"

I rolled my eyes. "Can we just...keep it between the two of us?"

His smile faltered, but it was barely noticeable, as he pasted on an even bigger, more flirtatious, look. "You ashamed of fraternizing with a surgical intern?"

I smacked his shoulder. "You know that's not it."

He shook his head and shrugged. "If it's what you want, Valentine, we'll pretend like it never happened."

I smiled shyly up at him. "I mean, I don't want the whole hospital talking about it. But between us..." We stopped, and I turned to face Bryce, taking a step towards him so we were toe-to-toe. "We don't have to forget it ever happened."

"Good," he said, leaning in slightly, as if he were about to kiss me. "Because it was way too incredible to forget." Before I could reply, he stepped back and walked casually off to start his shift. "See you around, Valentine," he called over his shoulder.

**2) The Night After Miami**

"Are we...going to talk about last night?" I asked. It was a half hour into our flight home from Miami, and Ethan – or, Dr. Ramsey, I mentally corrected myself – had barely spoken two words to me all day.

He looked up from the article he was reading. "Hmm?" He murmured absently.

"Are we ever going to talk about last night?"

He sighed and set the magazine down. "I don't see the point. The sooner we forget about it, the better."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "I mean...I understand why you stopped things, and why it can't happen again. But...do you really want to just...forget it happened?"

Ethan looked down at me sadly. "What else is there to do?" he asked, his voice gentle, almost pleading.

I bit my lip as I looked up at him, wishing I could pull him in for a kiss – smell his aftershave and feel the scratch of his stubble. I turned away, busying myself with pulling a textbook out of my bag. "Are things going to be different now?" I asked, still not looking at Ethan.

"No," he said, and his firm tone startled me enough to make me look him in the eyes again. His gaze was serious, determined. "I may have crossed a line, but I promise, it will not affect our work. Or your shot at the fellowship."

_That's not what I meant_, I thought to myself, but all I did was nod. I opened my textbook, and Dr. Ramsey picked up his journal, resuming his article. I know he noticed the fact that I barely got through two pages during the three-hour flight, but he didn't say anything about it. And as we parted ways at the airport, I swallowed a lump in my throat as I thought, _Things are going to be different now._

**3) The Night After The Bachelorette Party**

"You were out late last night," Sienna said coyly as she poured me a cup of coffee.

"Yeah," Elijah agreed, "I thought you and Bryce were gonna meet us back after the movie."

I shrugged and sipped my coffee. "We sort of ended up doing a bar crawl with this bachelorette party."

Elijah laughed while Sienna whistled and said, "That sounds fun. I bet the girls were all over Bryce, huh?"

I knew she was needling me, trying to suss out my feelings for Bryce. Truthfully, things were too complicated for me to even know what I wanted. So I really didn't want to talk about last night, or the amazing kiss that ended it. Instead, I just shrugged. "I'm sure he's used to it."

Sienna eyed me carefully, but took the hint, and steered the conversation to other topics. Even as she did, I couldn't stop thinking about Bryce. _No regrets_, I repeated in my head. _No regrets_.

**4) The Night After The Dam Broke**

The sun streamed through the large picture windows in Ethan's bedroom, making me stir far too early. I looked over, but Ethan was still sleeping soundly; he must be used to bright mornings. I smiled softly as I watched him snore softly into his pillow. He was spread out across the huge King-sized bed, one of his legs pinning me in place.

As I watched, I thought about the night before. It had been a long six months overdue, but that had just made it all the more spectacular. Even so, I felt a pang of guilt, and I wasn't quite sure why.

I carefully extracted myself from Ethan and padded around the room, looking for my clothes. I thought about Ethan, and then about Bryce, and wondered if I was a terrible person. _You're not dating either of them_, I reminded myself. Plus, Bryce practically had _casual fling _tattooed across his forehead. So why was I feeling so guilty about sleeping with someone else? I wandered to the living room, where my sweater was laying on the kitchen island.

I heard faint stirrings from the bedroom, and quickly slipped on my shoes and headed to the door. As amazing as last night had been, I wasn't ready to talk about it.

**5) The Night After The Decision**

I stretched and yawned as I woke up, pleasantly sore and ravenously hungry.

"You know you sound like a dinosaur when you stretch?" Bryce's morning voice was husky.

I smacked his chest, and he caught my arm, pulling me close. I snuggled against his chest as he toyed with my hair. "Hi," I said, peering up at him with bright eyes.

"Hi," he said, smiling sweetly. Bryce had many smiles, and I had come to learn what most of them meant. This was a rare smile; it was reserved for moments when he was truly happy and, more importantly, sincere – real, not hiding behind pretense or a cocky attitude.

"Hi," I said again, making him laugh.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

He shifted, and I sat up, clutching the sheets to my chest as I faced him. His smile was gone as he looked deeply into my eyes. "You could have gone home with anyone last night. I mean..._anyone_."

He didn't need to say the name for it to be clear, he was talking about Ethan.

"That's not a question," I said, smiling softly.

He returned the smile, but it was reserved. "Why'd you choose me?"

I thought about teasing him for being insecure, since it was so uncharacteristic of him. But, after a moment of consideration, I decided to opt for sincerity. "Because you were the person I wanted to celebrate with." I paused again, then added, "You're _always_ the person I want to celebrate with."

Bryce grinned and leaned in to give me a long, lingering kiss. When we came up for air, he let his forehead rest against mine, cupping my cheek with one hand. "I guess I should sneak out of here before your roommates wake up."

"What, are you ashamed of fraternizing with a medical intern?" I smirked.

"Not when that medical intern is you."

"Good. Then, let's stop sneaking around." Bryce's eyebrow shot up, and my stomach flipped as I wondered if I was making a big mistake. I wasn't about to stop, though. "I really like you," I told him. "I want to be with you, officially. Publicly. Whatever." I shook my head, wishing I could be cooler about this.

Bryce was silent for a long moment, and I was sure I had just ruined a good thing with him. But then, he broke out in a wide smile. "Really?"

I nodded, and he kissed me hard. We toppled back against the mattress, Bryce's hands running along my curves while his lips trailed down my neck. "So that's a yes?" I asked as he nipped at my earlobe.

His breath tickled as he whispered back, "That's a _hell yes_, Valentine."


End file.
